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Central New Yorkers ask: Will rebuilding I-81 bring more trucks down my street?

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Interstate 81 in Syracuse. A representative from the New York State Department of Transportation met with Central New Yorkers in Owasco Town Hall Tuesday afternoon to discuss proposals to reconfigure the highway. Residents are concerned that changes will impact truck traffic in communities 30 miles away.
(Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com)

Owasco, NY -- A meeting on the proposed reconstruction of Interstate 81 took a detour Tuesday afternoon in Owasco where residents voiced fears that reconfiguring the highway will push more traffic onto two-lane roads.

Residents of Cayuga and Onondaga Counties have fought for years to get the state to do something to keep big tractor trailer rigs from getting off I-81 in the Cortland area to take two-lane roads that go through their communities as a shortcut to the New York State Thruway.

"We have to make sure that whatever happens with I-81 it doesn't aggravate the truck traffic here," state Sen. James Seward told the 40 residents and elected officials who crowded into a meeting room in Owasco Town Hall.

Assemblyman Gary Finch was in the audience, as was a representative of Congressman Dan Maffei and elected officials from Auburn, Owasco and Sennett.

The meeting was to hear more about the process the state is taking to decide how to replace I-81 in a three mile area that slices through the heart of downtown Syracuse.

State Department of Transportation Strategic Policy Advisor Debra A. Nelson explained the need for the project and the proposals to reconfigure the highway. She repeatedly told the crowd it was early in the process and that the state wants their input on the project.

New York State Department of Transportation Strategic Policy Advisor Debra A. Nelson explains the planning process to reconfigure I-81 to residents and elected officials at Owasco Town Hall Tuesday afternoon.Charley Hannagan|channagan@syracuse.com

The state is looking at several options including replacing the elevated portions of I-81 or demolishing the bridges and bringing the highway to street level to create a boulevard. The costs range from $900 million to $2.3 billion depending on the option.

The state had created a website The I-81 Challenge to explain the need and collect public comment on the first part of the process. Nelson urged residents to look for a second website to be created soon called I-81 Opportunities that will collect input on the next phase of the planning process.

Many residents live 30 miles or more from I-81 and they want the state to take into account the impact a reconfigured highway would have on the region's road network. The residents didn't appear to favor one option over the other. They just want big trucks to stop whizzing past their homes and rattling their windows.

"We don't want it to get any worse," said Owasco Supervisor Ed Wagner.

John Oxford of 5307 Route 38A in Owasco said he doesn't believe that the state has the power to make truckers stay on I-81 rather than take a shortcut. Truckers take shortcuts because they save fuel and time, he said.

"If that guy can put money in his pocket by going off Route 81 and going through Owasco, he's going to go through Owasco," Oxford said.

Contact Charley Hannagan by voice or text at 315-470-2161, by email at channagan@syracuse.com, on Facebook at Neighbors West or on Twitter @charleypost.